Boat staff in general were warm and helpful, ship was clean and kept incredibly well, kids area fantastic.

Unfortunately however, overall we did not have the greatest experience on this cruise (which was my wife's first cruise however I've been on multiple cruises before, all around the world.) The biggest issue for us has been some situations involving our belongings and the responses we have received.

When we arrived, our flight had been delayed (Delta from NYC) and as a result our luggage did not arrive. We were without luggage until Tuesday when we docked in Jamaica.

The merchandise available on the ship was incredibly limited, especially considering the size of the ship and the reputation of Royal Caribbean. There was nothing - not a hat, a swimsuit or even a t-shirt for my 11 month old daughter. Mohammed from guest services was kind enough to arrange a complimentary pack of diapers in her size. For myself and my husband the selection was very poor. There was one swimsuit available on the entire ship in my size. I was told that merchandise had not been restocked in a number of weeks. The same went for my husband. We had expected an exciting and luxurious array of summer merchandise to purchase and were totally disappointed. There was not so much as a pair of clean underwear to buy. And for a summer cruise I would have expected at the very least, many swimsuit and cover-up options, as well as dresses for elegant evening etc. We had to wear our clothes from the plane for 3 days. Disappointing.

Finally we met our luggage in Jamaica. Our car seat arrived with a crack through the center. Assuming this is the airlines fault but still we are not certain. Furthermore, only two pieces of our luggage actually made it to our room, along with two pieces of another guests luggage!!!

It took a number of hours to actually locate our remaining luggage which had been incorrectly delivered to another guests room. By this stage it wasTuesday night.

(As a side note Mohammed from guest relations was incredibly helpful and diligent at this time and even called our room to apologize for the mistake. He was on top of our case from the time we boarded and in contact with the airline to make sure our luggage would be delivered.)

Upon debarking the ship in FL we opted for the valet program. We left our 4 pieces of luggage outside our room according to the instructions outlined. We returned to NY on Delta without a hint that their should be any issue. When we arrived however, we discovered that our luggage HAD NEVER BEEN DELIVERED TO THE AIRLINE!!! Of course it took a number of hours to work this out. We had to pay the driver who had arrived to pick us up when the plane landed even though we never took the car because we were delayed for so long looking for our bags. We had an exhausted baby, who needed to get home to eat and sleep. And we were AGAIN looking to locate our luggage. Finally Delta said since the bags had been "Voided" there was nothing more they could do. We returned to Manhattan - now stuck in Sunday afternoon traffic which added an hour to our trip with a screaming baby in the car. And no luggage.

Meanwhile I had to call Royal Carribean 3 times.

The first time someone fairly unhelpful said they would "look into it" - they didn't give any time frame or expectation as to when we should receive a response. Their reaction was as though we had left a tooth brush on the boat - not the concerned, helpful or apologetic response we would expect for 4 missing pieces of luggage, INCLUDING a baby stroller and ALL our summer clothes, elegant evening wear that we need for a wedding, shoes, toiletries, medicines etc. We received no return phone call.

Called a second time an hour later - The same woman told me "I don't have any more information, you will have to call back on Monday". By this stage we were seriously concerned that our luggage was lost or stolen.

Called a third time and spoke to someone different. Got the same standard response. I urged the representative to do more, so he called the warehouse. I insisted to wait on the phone, and after some time he said "they have found one piece." Only at my insistence they kept looking and managed to find the other 3 pieces. So we were relieved to have located all 4 items. Unfortunately we were told to call back on MONDAY to arrange for shipping, that we could expect around WED at the earliest. WEDNESDAY?!!! As i mentioned, it is all our summer clothing, toiletries, baby gear and a stroller - how are we supposed to go from Sat - Wed without that?!

I asked to speak to a supervisor - none available. I finally convinced the man on the phone to allow me to speak to the person in the warehouse.

The woman in the warehouse was slightly more helpful. She explained there was really no way to get the luggage to Delta to be flown out that day (Sat) but that we could request it to be sent via UPS "next day delivery" on Monday. So the earliest we can expect to receive our luggage is Tuesday.

We are extremely disappointed and angry. Firstly at the complete incompetence to deliver according to the valet promise. Secondly at the mediocre, unhelpful and unconcerned response we have received. We were offered no reassurance at any point and had we not insisted on more investigation, we still would not be sure as to the whereabouts of our personal belongings. We have also received no explanation as to WHY the pieces never made it to the airport. NOT ACCEPTABLE from a company like Royal Caribbean.

We have had to go out and purchase personal belongings to merely make do for the weekend. So far this has come to approximately $1000 US; This does not even come close to covering what we really need for the next few days. Things like a baby stroller and a hairdryer, cosmetics, clothing etc.

We are completely inconvenienced by this, financially put out and not to mention the extreme aggravation and stress that has been endured during what was supposed to be a relaxing week.

Combined with the fact that the ports (in particular Haiti and Jamaica) were BEYOND disappointing (totally inauthentic tourist experience) it was overall not a great experience for my wife's first cruise.

Thank you for posting your review. I am sorry that your experience was not better. In general, cruise line customer service is adequate but not what I consider to be top shelf, at least not on the popular, mass marketed lines (e.g., NCL, RC, Carnival).
I've come to believe that the attitude of these lines is that once boarded, a passenger becomes a captive to very broad policies and procedures. It is no longer considered a democracy and every expenditure counts against the bottomline for that voyage. While some companies have given frontline staff some latitude to address customer complaints, I do not believe that practice extends to cruise lines. Best avenue I've taken is to continue asking to speak to supervisors and managers.This seems to get the best results.

I was very upset reading your review. It is hard to believe that representatives of the cruise line would be so insensitive to your plight. My brother-in-law lost his luggage on a Princess cruise and didn't get it back until the last day. He was hassled in the dining room when he arrived wearing shorts. He told the host that if he wanted, he would remove his shorts but since the cruise line could not provide hom with long pants that was his only option. They told him to eat at the buffet. He replied absolutely not, the cruise line lost my luggage and I paid too much money to eat at the buffet for dinner. When he wouldn't back down, they finally seated him. So I know how little apparel items ships carry that guests who lose luggage can find on board.

Other Reviews Of This Sailing

*Cruiseline.com is not a booking agent or travel agency, and does not charge any service fees to users of our site. Our partners (travel agencies and cruise lines) provide prices, which we list for our users' convenience. Cruiseline.com does not guarantee any specific rates or prices. While prices are updated daily, please check with the booking site for the exact amount. Cruiseline.com is not responsible for content on external web sites.